Chapter 217 – War King Gets Sat On
The three of them left Yan Shujing behind, walking and chatting along the way. Yan Xiaosi was quite pleased that Ms. Wang had changed her opinion of her. Although she didn’t care much about what Ms. Wang thought, once Tian Dazhuang and Yan Shuqin got married, Ms. Wang would become Yan Shuqin’s mother-in-law. If Ms. Wang always looked at her unfavorably, it would undoubtedly affect Yan Shuqin negatively, which wasn’t ideal. Better to turn foes into friends with Ms. Wang.
“Auntie Tian, will you still call me little bastard and troublemaker from now on?”
Recalling the past encounters with Ms. Wang, where she was always left fuming, wishing she could go for Yan Xiaosi’s neck, Yan Xiaosi just smiled lightly.
Ms. Wang waved her hand, “No more, no more. I’m not unreasonable or unjust.”
“Now that Auntie Tian and I have made peace, there’s something I’d like to tell you.”
Ms. Wang gave her a look, her expression reverting to its usual sternness.
“Yan Xiaosi, don’t even think about seducing my Dazhuang. His father passed away early, and in our old Tian family, Dazhuang is the only heir. If you lure Dazhuang into a same-sex relationship, our old Tian family will end with him.”
Yan Xiaosi nearly stumbled upon hearing this. Ms. Wang’s imagination was indeed rich, and her thoughts quite progressive.
No wonder Ms. Wang had always looked at her unfavorably. Now it made sense.
Yan Xiaosi couldn’t help but laugh, “Auntie Tian, what are you thinking? Brother Dazhuang and I are just good buddies, good brothers. Don’t worry, I’m not into men, and neither is Brother Dazhuang. Your old Tian family won’t end with him. What I want to talk about is Brother Dazhuang’s marriage to my elder sister.”
Ms. Wang’s eyes lit up at this.
She had favored Yan Shujing earlier, but Ms. Zhong and Yan Xiaosi were reluctant, and so was Tian Dazhuang, leading her to agree to Ms. Hu’s proposal.
“Didn’t your mother disapprove of my Dazhuang?”
Now that the misunderstanding was cleared, Yan Xiaosi didn’t beat around the bush.
“That’s because you’re too fierce, Auntie Tian. My mother was worried my sister would be mistreated by you.”
“How could that be? I’m only fierce to outsiders.”
Thinking it over, Yan Xiaosi realized this was true. Over the years, Ms. Wang had indeed been fierce and unreasonable towards outsiders but was always protective and caring towards Tian Dazhuang.
“As long as Auntie Tian doesn’t mistreat my sister, my mother won’t object. Besides, Brother Dazhuang’s marriage to my sister was arranged by the General stationed at Tongluo Plain. He even said that when Brother Dazhuang marries my sister, if we send him an invitation, he will come and bring a generous gift.”
Hearing about the gift, Ms. Wang was overjoyed, her eyes shining even brighter.
“Really?”
Yan Xiaosi saw her greedy look, which reminded her somewhat of herself.
“Truer than real gold.”
Convinced by Yan Xiaosi’s tone, Ms. Wang turned and glared fiercely at Tian Dazhuang.
No wonder Dazhuang was unwilling to marry Yan Shujing; the General stationed at Tongluo Plain had already made plans.
“Dazhuang, you little bastard, hiding such an important matter from your mother, do you want to anger me to death?”
She picked up a branch from somewhere and started whacking Tian Dazhuang’s behind with it.
“Little bastard, I’ll teach you a lesson.”
When Tian Dazhuang was young and did something wrong, Ms. Wang would discipline him in this manner. But now that he’s grown up, Ms. Wang still treated him the same way, especially in front of Yan Xiaosi, which made him feel embarrassed and lose face instantly. His honest face turned beet red as he ran away with his head in his hands.
“Mom, stop hitting me. I was just waiting to sort things out before telling you,” he pleaded.
Yan Xiaosi couldn’t help but smile as she watched the mother and son—one chasing, the other running away, creating a chaotic but warm scene. She thought that if her older sister, Yan Shuqin, married into such a lively family, she would likely have a good life.
Soon, they reached a fork in the road. One path led to Shaoyao Village, and another to Big Sister Peak.
Yan Xiaosi stopped and said, “Auntie Tian, I’ll wait to hear from you.”
Ms. Wang, beaming with joy, responded, “Don’t worry. Once I pick an auspicious day, I’ll send for a matchmaker to propose at Big Sister Peak.”
After saying goodbye to Tian Dazhuang and his mother, Yan Xiaosi picked up a dry branch by the roadside, took out a flint from her pocket, and lit the branch on fire to light her way up the mountain.
The night was quiet in the mountains, and the small fire illuminated Yan Xiaosi’s path, making her unafraid to proceed. However, not long after, she sensed a shadow flashing by, followed by her torch suddenly going out. Recalling ghost stories from her past life, the sudden darkness brought those tales to mind, causing her heart to tighten and her voice to falter.
“Who’s there? Are you human or a ghost?”
Although she didn’t believe in ghosts, the thought that she had traveled through time made her spine chill.
Hearing her trembling voice, Long Yu, hidden in the shadows, smiled slightly. He hadn’t expected this fearless girl to be afraid of ghosts. With a smile, Long Yu used his lightness technique to move next to her in an instant, accurately placing his hand on her shoulder.
“Ah, a ghost!” Yan Xiaosi felt a weight on her shoulder, panicked, and turned around swiftly, launching herself at the figure with a bear hug.
There were two muffled sounds of impact.
Long Yi, hidden nearby, recognized these sounds as his master’s voice and quickly lit a fire.
The flickering light revealed a surprising scene: the usually dignified Long Yu was sprawled on the ground, with Yan Xiaosi sitting on his waist, delivering left and right hooks.
Long Yi, witnessing this, couldn’t help but twitch his mouth in shock. This position, had it been between a man and a woman, would seem harmonious, but seeing his master and Yan Xiaosi like this was rather bizarre.
“Master, are you alright?” Long Yi asked.
“Shut up,” Long Yu snapped, still fuming.
He had intended to scare Yan Xiaosi as a prank to vent his frustration but didn’t expect her to react so quickly. Caught off guard, he was knocked down, with Yan Xiaosi taking advantage of the situation to sit on him and throw punches.
